2008 Ford Focus LX review from UK and Ireland

Replaced the handbrake as it didn't engage fully.

Fantastic handling makes this a car that you can buy for practical reasons, but still enjoy driving.

I bought a Focus after considering a Mondeo, Golf and an Alfa 159. I needed to run this as a family car, but wanted something that would be fun to drive.

The car has been very reliable and has good fuel economy, so that's the boring stuff out of the way. However, I did need to replace the handbrake (under warranty) after the car rolled a little on steep hills while in traffic.

It's roomy in the front and back, with a boot that would be large enough for most families.

I have the LX model, though have added fog lights, sun roof and alloys (the car looks very bland without alloys). The only thing I miss is that there's no mpg read-out on the trip computer, just number of miles. The fuel efficiency is very good, but without knowing the mpg for sure, I lose the kick of being able to say my diesel gets X to the gallon.

The cup holders are in a terrible position and pretty unusable, and my wife hates the location of the handbrake on the passenger side, which means you are constantly rubbing knuckles with the other person.

The heated windshield and big wide wipers are useful in the appalling Irish weather. Plenty of adjustability in the seats and steering wheel too.

The best thing about the Focus is its handling, which is just a dream. It's great fun going through twisty country roads as it goes through every bend beautifully. You find yourself nearly making engine noises "vrrrrrr, grrrrrrr" as you glide around corners.

The engine is quiet and has a decent punch to it, although you need to change into second gear almost as soon as you take off from lights as it runs out of puff quickly. In general I change up @ 1750 revs and down at 1000 revs; if you go below 1000 revs it gets wimpy quickly.

I bought this car second hand from a Volvo dealer and have found them very good - they fixed my handbrake problem without fuss.

This car does everything well and has exceptional handling. The only possible rival in its class is a VW Golf.